


What's Left Unsaid

by 4ce_in_sp4ce



Category: Inception (2010)
Genre: Cuddling, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Love Confessions, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-04
Updated: 2020-09-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:53:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26289784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/4ce_in_sp4ce/pseuds/4ce_in_sp4ce
Summary: I love you.Eames had thought those words often but he'd never said them, afraid of what would happen if he spoke them out loud.A close call brings about a long overdue admission
Relationships: Arthur/Eames (Inception)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 92





	What's Left Unsaid

Eames could lay like this for hours, head resting on Arthur’s chest, Arthur’s arms around him. They were usually the other way around honestly, with Arthur curled against him, but Arthur had pulled him close as soon as they’d gotten to the hotel room and Eames had been more than happy to oblige. After the absolute fucking mess this day had been, it was nice to simply be held.

He’d noticed his tail at the last minute but by that point it had been too late. He’d put up a good fight and had even almost managed to get away but a well placed blow to the head had taken him down though, and when he’d come to he’d found himself cuffed to a pipe in some sort of warehouse. He hadn’t been able to understand what his kidnappers were saying in the other room, but he’d been able to put at least a few things together. It’d sounded like Chinese, so this was probably related to the job they’d recently done in Shanghai, which was bad. That job had involved the Triads, and if Eames was going to be kidnapped he’d really prefer it _not_ be by a criminal organization known for being both very violent and very efficient. Of course, he’d prefer not to be kidnapped at all, but if things had to go bad he preferred they not go quite as bad as this was shaping up to be. 

They’d come in once, demanding to know how to find the rest of the team. Eames had laughed at them and told them to fuck off, ignoring the jolt of panic and terror as one of them had pressed a gun agaisnt his temple. The chances of this ending well for him weren’t great, he knew that, so he might as well go out being as much of a pain in the ass as he could.

Thankfully it hadn’t taken long for Cobb and Arthur to find him, the sound of a brutal fight making its way to the room where Eames was cuffed, hoping that whoever came through the door in the end was a friendly face. Arthur had looked nearly frantic when he’d rushed in, running over and pulling Eames into a tight hug as soon as he’d unlocked the handcuffs, even as Eames assured him he was fine. They’d had to make a quick getaway- gunshots tended to summon the police and they absolutely did _not_ want to be around to have to explain this- but Arthur hadn’t let go of him, not fully at least, the entire ride back to the workshop. He’d stepped back somewhat once they’d gotten there, giving Yusuf room to look over Eames and make sure he wasn’t seriously injured and didn’t need to go to the hospital, but he’d never stopped looking worried.

He wasn’t sure how long it’d been since they’d gotten back to the hotel. Maybe an hour. Maybe more. Probably more. Eames had learned early on that things like this were certainly unpleasant in the moment but were almost always worse after, when the adrenaline had worn off and you were left with just fear and the reality that you could’ve died. The feeling of Arthur’s arms around him, his hand running through Eames’ hair as they’d laid on the bed silently, had been the most comforting thing Eames thought he’d ever felt. As the adrenaline had drained out of him, leaving him tired and shaking slightly, the gentle pressure of being held close was enough to remind him he was safe. He was okay. They’d stayed like that even after Eames had stopped shaking, neither one of them willing to give up the comfort of physical closeness.

“You scared me today.” 

Arthur’s voice was quiet, and Eames could still hear the fear in it. It was less than when Arthur had found him in the warehouse, when he’d looked Eames over with barely disguised panic and asked him if he was injured, but it was still there. He moved closer, wrapping his arm around Arthur’s torso. “I know. I’m sorry.” He closed his eyes and listened to the soft, steady sound of Arthur’s heartbeat. “I’m alright though. I’m okay.”

“I kept thinking, what if we’re too late? What if they’ve already hurt you? Already killed you? I don’t…” He took a shaky breath, his arm tightening around Eames’ shoulders. “I can’t lose you.”

Eames buried his face in Arthur’s shirt. “They didn’t. I’m here. I’m safe.” He honestly wasn’t sure who he was trying to reassure, Arthur or himself. “I’m alright.”

“Eames, look at me.” Arthur shifted and Eames looked up, missing the weight around his shoulders immediately. Arthur cupped the side of his face gently, fixing him with a serious expression. “I mean that. I can’t lose you. I need you to know that I mean that. I love you, Eames, and I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you. You’re too important to me.”

Eames stared at him, Arthur’s words sinking in slowly. He’d thought them himself plenty of times, increasingly often recently, but he’d never said them. They were serious, not something he took lightly and he doubted Arthur did either, and he’d worried they’d be too much. That Arthur wouldn’t feel the same way, that he’d pull back. That Eames would ruin what they’d built with each other. But here Arthur was, watching him with the intense sincerity that Eames had come to love simply because it was so quintessentially _Arthur_ , not pulling back or moving away, just telling him he couldn’t lose him. That he loved him. Eames opened his mouth to speak but his breath caught in his throat, blocking whatever words might have come out. After a moment he buried his face back against Arthur’s chest, his own chest feeling tight. Arthur’s arms were around him again and Eames just laid there, holding Arthur as tightly as Arthur was holding him, the fear from earlier suddenly amplified by the simple knowledge of what he would’ve lost if things had gone as bad as he knew they could’ve. What he would’ve left unsaid.

“I love you too.” It was several minutes before he was able to get the words out, his voice muffled against Arthur’s chest. “You don’t have to worry about losing me because I love you too and I’m not going anywhere.”

He felt Arthur relax slightly, his hand running through Eames’ hair again. His other arm stayed tightly wrapped around Eames’ shoulders though, and Eames was perfectly fine with that. He was perfectly fine if Arthur kept holding him like this for the rest of the night honestly. “Good.” He kissed the top of Eames’ head gently before resting his cheek against it and settling back onto the bed, seeming just as perfectly content to stay like this as Eames was. “You better not.”


End file.
